August Goals

1. Maintain weight
2. Watch calories closer by eating healthier snacks
3. Strength Train 3x week
4. Continue with Cardio 5x week
5. Log before eating (especially dinner)
6. Drink Tea instead of Coffee / increase water

1. Stop being so hard on myself
2. More water
3. Less snacking
4. Log everything I eat
5. Start exercising religiously
6. Increase my protein

amandacanales wrote: »

1. Complete at least two solid 13.1 mile runs this month.
2. Strength training at least once per week.
3. Attempt to reduce the amount of protein shakes I'm drinking (per the wishes of the surgical practice)...but I do love them so much. I'm not 100% sure that I'm ready to commit.

Week 1 Check-in (31 Jul - 6 Aug)
1. I ran a light week...a bit more than 30 miles in preparation for a 13 miler today (I did it!).
2. Did my strength training. 1.5 hours...and nearly an hour on my bike too.
3. I skipped a couple of shakes this week. I'm going to have a hard time with this one!

1. Get over this evil pre-op diet! I've been low carb for almost 8 months and I'm used to having protein shakes everyday, but this *kitten* sucks!
2. Survive surgery!

amandacanales wrote: »

amandacanales wrote: »

amandacanales wrote: »

amandacanales wrote: »

1. Complete at least two solid 13.1 mile runs this month.
2. Strength training at least once per week.
3. Attempt to reduce the amount of protein shakes I'm drinking (per the wishes of the surgical practice)...but I do love them so much. I'm not 100% sure that I'm ready to commit.

Week 1 Check-in (31 Jul - 6 Aug)
1. I ran a light week...a bit more than 30 miles in preparation for a 13 miler today (I did it!).
2. Did my strength training. 1.5 hours...and nearly an hour on my bike too.
3. I skipped a couple of shakes this week. I'm going to have a hard time with this one!

Week 2 Check-in (7 - 13 Aug)
1. I started the week with a 13.12 mile run on Sunday and completed the week with around 35 miles total.
2. Just one session of strength training (yoga). Due to work schedule I ended up with two full rest days this week.
3. Skipped some shakes again. Making the ones I do have last longer. Still drinking some protein powder in my coffee...because yummy.

Week 3 Check-in (14 - 20 Aug)
1. It was a rough week. Only managed one run. The weather and strep throat/bronchial infection conspired against me.
2. See number 1. Fail.
3. Skipped shakes on several days and mixed smaller/weaker shakes when I did have them. I'm not sure that I'm willing to give them up...

Week 4 Check-in (21 - 27 Aug)
1. So I'm not going to manage both 13.1 mile runs this month...but I did log 57.6 miles this week. That's a new personal distance milestone!
2. I did manage both some yoga and kettlebells this week.
3. Still managing to skip the occasional shake but I was definitely fighting the munchies this week. I won most of the time...

I'm having a hard time settling on a plan for September. I have several business trips and the schedule disruption always throws me off.

anbrdr wrote: »

Holy hell, how do you run so far?! I hit a personal best of 4.7 miles the other day, and around mile 3 I started gassing out. Very large hills though. Trying to improve on every run.

@anbrdr

I started out slow and set the goal that I had to either run faster or longer each week. I trained for my first 5k run entirely on the treadmill and elliptical.

Some days it is just okay to run, some days I had to deliver performance. Every few weeks I would just feel like I could do more and I push myself over into a new distance.

Adding yoga and strength training definitely helped.

I have to avoid being too carb-phobic. Of course, I avoid added sugars but I had to make peace with eating fruits, starchier vegetables, and whole grains in reasonable amounts. It is still a work in progress.

Lol...I'm also angry about a few things. I use that to spur me on some mornings. I work things out in my head and avoid saying things that I should not!

@anbrdr...I was going to suggest taking the hills first! My routes are flat/small elevation changes but there are a couple of loops that I have a huge mental block with. I used to have to knock them out early in my run or I just couldn't face them.

Although I still get some cravings, I've managed to create some low/no added sugar alternatives that keep it in check as well as find dark chocolate that fits the bill in portion controlled packages. I make homemade whole milk yogurt; 100 grams of that with a spoonful of Aldi's No Sugar Added Raspberry Preserves (and sometimes a little peanut butter) is an amazing treat!

My surgeon is a vegan and, aside from the pre-surgical prep and initial healing period, advocates a diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, pulses, and whole grains. He would like nothing more than for me to completely cut out the protein shakes and bars...but I rely heavily on them to keep me on track when I am on business trips and have limited options.

I have no intention of becoming a vegan, but our family meals have become even more plant centric and we control our intake of meat more carefully. I needed to increase my carbohydrate intake to fuel my runs but I focus on getting them from steel cut oats, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Potatoes, unfortunately, are my kryptonite...they have to remain on the "no fly" list. Luckily, I make awesome mashed cauliflower that is a perfectly acceptable substitute for me!